Auditor: Afghan workers getting stiffed out of US aid contract money

SIGAR says its hotline received 753 complaints from 2009 to October 2012, of which 183 were related to contractor and subcontractor non-payment issues. The auditor opened 52 investigations as a result, representing $69 million in claims.

“While a subcontractor may always face the risk of nonpayment by its prime contractor,” Sopko said, “Afghan subcontractors may be particularly at risk due to a lack of adequate legal protections and limitations placed on the U.S. government’s ability to intervene on their behalf.”